THE ORGANISATIONAL CLIMATE OF PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN SELANGOR

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA

THE ORGANISATIONAL CLIMATE OF PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN SELANGOR

SITI ZURAINIWATI BINTI ABDUL KADIR

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

Master of Education

(Educational Management and Leadership)

Faculty of Education

June 2012

AUTHOR'S DECLARATION

I declare that work in this dissertation was carried out in accordance with the regulations of Universiti Teknologi MARA. Itis original and is the result of my own work, unless otherwise indicated or acknowledge as referenced work. This dissertation has not been submitted to any other academic institution or non- academic institution for any degree or qualification.

I hereby, acknowledge that I have been supplied with the Academic .Rules and Regulations for Post Graduate, Universiti Teknologi MARA, regulating the conduct of my study and research.

Name of Student

Student I.D. No

Programme

Faculty

Dissertation Title

Signature of Student

Date

Siti Zurainiwati Binti Abdul Kadir

2009449832

Master of Education

(Educational Management and Leadership)

Education

Organisational Climate of Primary Schools in Selangor

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...

.

June 2012

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to identify the teacher’s perception of school climate in primary schools in Selangor. Six primary schools from three different types of school namely national school (Sekolah Kebangsaan/SK), national type Chinese school (Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina/SJKC) and national type Tamil school (Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Tamil/SJKT) were selected for the study. Data were collected using questionnaire and interview techniques. The questionnaire was distributed to a total of 300 randomly selected teacher respondents and 194 questionnaires were returned, however only 186 questionnaires were appropriately completed and able to be used for analysis. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings revealed that the level of four dimensions of school climate namely collegial leadership, achievement press, institutional vulnerability and communication were at the moderate level. Among these variables, professional teacher behavior dimension was identified at the high level. In addition, findings indicated that there was'no significant difference in teacher’s perception of school climate based on gender and school location. On the other hand, the finding indicated that teachers from different types of school are having different perceptions toward collegial leadership, achievement press, institutional vulnerability and communication. This study indicated that was no significant relationship between the two dimensions namely professional teacher behavior and institutional vulnerability. Besides that, these two dimensions were not positively associated with each other. In terms of the contribution of the significant predictors of school climate, the results revealed that there are three important variables namely achievement press, institutional vulnerability and communication contributed to the variance of school climate. Overall, the findings of this study have implications to the role of school head, teachers and parents in the way to enhance positive school climate.

Based on the findings, this study also provides recommendations for improvement of practices and future research.

ABSTRAK

Tujuan kajian ini dijalankan ialah untuk mengenalpasti persepsi guru terhadap iklim sekolah di sekolah-sekolah rendah di Selangor. Enam buah sekolah rendah daripada tiga aliran yang berbeza iaitu Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK), Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina (SJKC) dan Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Tamil (SJKT) telah dipilih untuk kajian ini. Data kajian diperolehi dengan menggunakan teknik soal selidik dan temubual. Soal selidik telah ditadbirkan secara rawak kepads 300 responden guru dan sejumlah 194 soal selidik telah dipulangkan, namun hanya 186 soal selidik yang lengkap sepenuhnya boleh digunapakai untuk analisis. Data telah dianalisa dengan menggunakan statistik deskripsi dan inferensi. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa keempat-empat dimensi iklim sekolah iaitu kepimpinan keserakanan, tekanan pencapaian, “kelemahan” in§titusi dan komunikasi berada pada tahap sederhana. Walau bagaimanapun, dimensi sikap professional guru berada pada tahap yang tinggi. Dapatan kajian juga menunjukkan tidak ada perbezaan yang signifikasi pada persepi guru terhadap iklim sekolah mengikut jantina dan lokasi sekolah. Namun, guru-guru daripada jenis sekolah yang berbeza mempunyai persepsi yang berbeza terhadap iklim sekolah yang berkaitan dengan dimensi kepimpinan keserakanan, tekanan pencapaian, “kelemahan” institusi and komunikasi.

Kajian ini menunjukkan bahawa tidak ada hubungan yang signifikan di antara dimensi tingkah laku guru professional dan “kelemahan” institusi. Tambahan pula, kedua-dua dimensi ini tidak menunjukkan hubungan positif di antara satu sama lain. Bagi menentukan sumbangan pengaruh serentak iklim sekolah, dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa penekanan pencapaian, “kelemahan” institusi dan komunikasi dalam iklim sekolah telah menyumbang kepada varian iklim sekolah. Dapatan kajian ini mempunyai implikasi terhadap peranan guru besar, guru-guru dan ibu bapa dalam usaha untuk meningkatkan iklim sekolah yang positif. Berdasarkan dapatan kajian juga, beberapa cadangan telah dikemukakan untuk penambahbaikan dalam amalan dan kajian pada masa depan.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First and foremost, I would like to extent my deepest gratitude to ALLAH the ALMIGHTY. Given the strength, knowledge and good health, I am very much thankful for the blessing and his infinite bounty.

My special appreciation goes to my supervisor, Prof. Dr. Chan Yuen Fook for his treasured supervision, invaluable guidance and continuous support to complete this dissertation. He is most responsible for this study becoming a reality. Without his encouragement, it would be impossible for me to complete this study.

I would also like to dedicate my appreciation to my parents, Abdul Kadir Bakri and Misna Hj. Suadi for their support. My appreciation also goes to my siblings, Siti Aisah, Irwan Kamaruddin, Siti Haslinda, Mohd Faizal Azharuddin and Siti Nurazuwa who are always willing to lend their helping hands whenever I needed most.

Last but not least, I would like to express my gratitude and thanks to the Faculty of Education for the support, and also the respondents who willing to help by participating in the study. In addition, my appreciation is also extended lectures, friends, classmates and colleagues for their moral support and encouragement in making my goal a reality.